Zootopia's Daughter: The Life and Times of Carey Hopps-Wilde
by foggynelson'sluscioushair
Summary: Carey Hopps-Wilde is only a tiny alpaca in a huge world, but with the help of her family and friends, she learns about love, life, courage, and confidence in herself. Chapters will come out sporadically (I am a busy perfectionist), but I would love any feedback you can offer for improvements. Disclaimer: I own nothing relating to Zootopia.
**Prologue: Elephants and Ice Cream**

"Are you sure you want an elephant ice cream for your birthday, Wool-bug?" Papa asked Carey with a sideways glance as they walked paw-in-hoof down the busy sidewalk in Central Zootopia. Due to the press of animals going about their day-to-day tasks, Carey's focus was divided between not stepping on the smallest mammals, avoiding being stepped on by the largest mammals, and convincing her father that she really, really needed a red jumbo pop. "You know, it might be bigger than you can eat by yourself."

"But, Papa, Julie got one for her birthday! I want one, too! She wouldn't even let me have a little bit, and it looked so delicious!"

"Yeah, well, Julie is actually an elephant," argued her father. "You're still just a tiny alpaca."

Realizing that she had hit a dead end, Carey turned and pleaded with her mother. "Mama, please, please can I get a jumbo pop for my birthday? Papa said it's my special day and I can do whatever I want, but now he won't do what I want!"

Her mother looked up from her phone – Carey guessed that she was sending emails about work - with a stern look. "Listen to your Papa, Carey."

Carey glanced quickly at both of her parents, and then sighed. "Well, I guess my birthday is ruined," she mourned, adding some sniffling and eye-rubbing to give her performance some believability.

"Carey…" her mother warned, but Papa's loud laughter interrupted her.

"Fluff, do you realize that we are raising a little con artist here? It's the old pull-on-the-heartstrings routine. I used to use it when I was a cute little kit, just like her."

"Nicholas Piberius Wilde, she's not a kit… And since when do we want to raise a con artist?" Mama bounded forwards and took Carey's other hoof, so that the whole family was walking in an obnoxiously wide line down the sidewalk. "Sweetie, if your Papa says no, then we're not going. Understand? No amount of crying or sniffling is going to change that."

 _Hmmm_ , _time to try something different._ "Yes, Mama," Carey said, batting her eyes innocently. "Then, if I can't have the ice cream, could we please go to Wild Times? I heard that there is a giant wheel that mammals can ride to see all of Zootopia!"

Her papa grimaced. He peered around Carey and down at Mama. "Wild Times tickets cost a fortune," he said softly, as if Carey couldn't hear him.

Mama's eyes narrowed and she shook her head. "Carey, isn't there something else you would like to do? We could go ice skating, or…"

"No, that's what I want."

There was a moment of silence among the family, which was broken by Papa. With a wide, toothy grin, he said, "Listen, little fox. I'm impressed with your conning skills, so I'm going to give you one last choice: elephant ice cream, or nothing."

Carey smiled back at him, joy at her victory swelling in her heart. "Elephant ice cream!"

Mama shook her head again, but Carey was sure that she saw her mouth twitching, trying not to smile.

The family walked a few blocks to an elephant ice cream shop that sat on a somewhat quieter street of the Central district. The shop was humongous in size, and as the family entered, Carey's eyes grew wide trying to take in the humongous tables, chairs, counter, and ice creams. Even the voices of the elephants were somehow larger than she was used to. Of course, Carey was used to seeing things that were giant in comparison with her own small body, but never had she been in a place made solely to cater to large animals. The paws of both of her parents gripped her own hooves more tightly, but Carey was too in awe to take much notice.

It was only when they were almost to the front of the line that Carey felt the wool prickle at the back of her neck. She glanced behind her and was immediately met with the eyes of an elderly, wizened elephant leaning on a cane. The elephant's small eyes studied Carey in a way that made her uncomfortable. Carey gave the elephant her best impression of a cool smile before turning around and tugging at her Papa's paw. "Papa, why is that elephant looking at me?" she whispered.

Papa looked over his shoulder, and then smiled in a way that showed too much teeth. "Hello, madam. And how are you on this fine day? Good? Good."

There was only silence in reply. Carey cringed at the awkwardness of the empty air. Mama threw a look at the aged elephant as well, and the edges of her mouth curved sharply downward. Carey knew that look well – Mama gave it to her whenever Carey called her "Carrots." But when Mama did finally turn to look at Carey, it was with a bright, toothy smile. "So, sweetie, are you excited to get your jumbo pop?"

"Yes," said Carey, trying to smile back. Her voice sounded uncommonly loud, and a few seconds later, she realized that it was because the shop had become almost completely silent. One of the elephant workers came out from behind the counter, wiping his trunk on his apron and looking mostly at the floor. In a few strides, he had reached the spot where the Hopps-Wilde family stood, and it was there that he stopped.

"Oh, sweet blueberry pie," moaned her Papa under his breath, his ears folded back. He quickly pointed them upwards again before casually querying, "What can I do for you, my fine mammal?" There was a pause, during which the elephant didn't respond. "You know," Papa continued, "I'm not sure if you realize what a special day this is. It just so happens to by my daughter's birthday. It's crazy – they grow up so fast! Am I right?" Papa gave a chuckle which dribbled through the air like melting ice cream.

"I – I'm sorry… Uh, happy birthday, little alpaca," said the elephant.

Carey craned her neck to look up at his tusk and trunks, which loomed over her head. "Thank you," she said.

"Listen, I'm sorry, you three, but we're going to have to ask you to. Leave… My boss, uh, my boss says that you're making the other customers… uncomfortable."

His words sent a shock through Carey. She glanced once more at the elderly elephant, who was still staring. So was the young elephant who stood behind her, and the middle-aged couple behind them…

"Uncomfortable?" repeated her mother, pulling Carey's attention back to the elephant in front of them. Mama was speaking in her _"Did you really just say that, Carey Bonniebell Hopps-Wilde?"_ voice. "We're making them uncomfortable? I'll have you know that your other customers have made us extremely uncomfortable with all of their staring! Tell me, what about us makes them uncomfortable?"

"Carrots…" cautioned Papa. He stepped between Carey and Mama and placed them both behind his body. "Come, on, calm down. Remember, don't let them see that they get to you."

"No, no. You know what, Nick?" Mama said as she pushed past Papa and stepped right up to the worker. "I'm tired of this! We are good paying customers, and we shouldn't be treated like trash! All we want is a jumbo pop for our daughter's birthday. Is that too much to ask? Look, we're at the front of the line after this gentlemammal. We'll just pay and be on our way." Mama took out some money and showed it to the elephant, along with her badge. "You can trust the ZPD, right?"

"Yeah, yeah," came another voice. The elephant at the counter was waving his trunk at them. "We know who you and the fox are, rabbit. It doesn't change the fact that you need to get out of my shop, and stop being a public nuisance, before I call the police. Other police, I mean."

The elephants in the room stood, silently, watching.

"Mama," said Carey quietly, tugging on her sleeve, trying to avoid being the center of attention in this terrible, confusing mess. "I… I don't want the jumbo pop anymore. I just want to go home."

"See?" said the elephant at the counter. "Listen to your… er, daughter. Just go home, fox and rabbit."

"Now, now, hold on a second," said Papa. The elephant whipped his gaze towards the fox, but instead of addressing the giant mammal, Papa stepped around Carey and knelt in front of her. His bright, green eyes locked onto hers. Carey froze, and all of the elephants – and even Mama – seemed to melt away until it was just Papa and her. "I don't believe you, that you don't want that jumbo pop. I think you're just trying to pull another con, you sneak. I think… And tell me if I'm wrong, Wooly-bug… I think that you really, really want that treat – you just don't want to cause any more trouble. Am I right? Maybe you think that these elephants are angry with you, or that you're the reason that Mama's getting upset?"

Carey nodded.

"Oh, Carey…" breathed Mama, materializing once more into Carey's world.

Papa continued. "I'm going to tell you something very important, Carey, so I want you to listen. It's not your fault. You want a jumbo pop for your birthday, and Mama and I want to buy it for you. That's not wrong. And these elephants aren't wrong, either. It's just that they don't understand what it means to be a family. But we do, don't we? We love each other, and take care of each other, and that makes us a family. So, we're not going to let these ignorant mammals get to us. We're going to get that jumbo pop, and we're going to do it calmly," his eyes flickered to Mama for a second, "and we're going to enjoy your birthday. Deal, Wooly?"

Carey's chest was still a raging sea of confusion, but she fought against the waves threatening to crash from her eyes and managed another nod. Papa leaned in and hugged her, and Carey tried to soak up as much calmness and bravery from him as she could. Then Papa got up, took the money from Mama's paw, walked over to the elephant at the counter, and placed the money on the smooth surface. The elephant stared at the money, then at Papa, and then back at the money again. Papa leaned his arm on the counter. "Listen, Trunks," he began, before glancing back at Carey. He winked, leaned in even closer to the elephant, and spoke so that Carey couldn't hear what he was saying. Mama, apparently, could hear just fine, because her ears were twitching and there was a sort-of-smile on her face.

Finally, the elephant slammed his front feet onto the table. "Yeah, yeah. I've heard enough, fox" he grumbled. With a sense of wonder, enough to make her forget about her fear or worry, Carey watched as the elephant grabbed the money from the counter with his trunk, and then lifted a giant, red jumbo pop out of the freezer. "Just take it and go," he said, shoving the treat into Papa's arms with enough force to make him stumble backwards. Mama shot forward and helped steady him, and together they came back for Carey.

"Here you go, Wooly," said Papa, handing the popsicle stick to her. "Careful, now. There you go."

Once Carey had her balance, Papa chuckled, saluted to the elephant worker still awkwardly standing in the middle of the shop, and guided Carey and Mama out of the store. Right before the door closed, Carey gave one look back at the elephants, their eyes still staring, and stuck her tongue out at them.

The small family – both in number and stature – walked about a block before saying anything. "Well, I never…" said Mama in frustration once they finally stopped at a crosswalk.

"Yes, you have," Papa reminded her with a chuckle, taking her paw in his own. He placed his other paw softly on Carey's soft, springy head wool. "Hey, Wool-bug, have I ever told you what your Mama carried with her when we first met? Fox spr – "

"Shush!" squealed Mama, clamping her paw over his muzzle with an almost insane giggle. "When she's older!"

"But Mama, I want to know now!" protested Carey, forcing a bit of bright laughter. "I'll give you a bite of my popsicle if you tell me!"

"Oh, trying to bribe Mama now, huh? You're going to turn out just fine, kiddo," said Papa with a wink before Mama punched him in the arm.

"Carey, don't bribe people," Mama reminded her.

"I promise, Mama," said Carey, putting on her innocent face once more. "You can trust me!"

Mama sighed and shook her head, but then she and Papa started laughing together, which was all that Carey needed to know that everything was going to be okay.

* * *

 **Please note that this is an updated version of the first chapter of "Zootopia's Daughter: The Life and Times of Carey Hopps-Wilde." I am all-around more happy with this version. Thanks so much for reading! Please leave a comment and let me know what you think! :)**


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